


jeremy knox's guide to being the main character

by SLYTHERINEJ



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Cinephile Jeremy, F/F, Jeremy teaching Jean to live, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Movie references are gonna be wild bro, Multi, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Canon, USC Trojans (All For The Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29711952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLYTHERINEJ/pseuds/SLYTHERINEJ
Summary: After one too many 2000s romcoms, Jeremy Knox decides it’s high time for him to take Jean Moreau under his wing and show him what exactly life beneath the sun entails.[In which Jeremy is a hopeless romantic cinephile and Jean is a cynic in the process of getting reacquainted with life.]
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Alvarez/Laila Dermott, Jean Moreau/Jeremy Knox, Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	jeremy knox's guide to being the main character

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'll be updating this fic every Friday and Wednesday (according to Philippine Time) if anyone wants to watch out for the updates. 
> 
> Also: If anyone wants to beta/proofread this fic, DM me on Twitter (@BETHARMQN) because I am so desperate for someone to Beta this fic.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy reading!

Jeremy Knox was a sucker for romcoms. If given the chance, he’d gladly binge watch every single movie in his coveted DVD shelf just to feel that surge of butterflies in his stomach. He absolutely adored the experience of getting to know the different characters and their stories and witnessing how they come together and create their own little happy ending. 

As a child, he remembered his face nearly pressed against the glowing screen and the bright colors that glowed in the dark and the smiles the lines and quips will pull out of him. He carried that memory to his pubescent era, teens, adolescence, and brought it with him to USC. After a hard day at class or practice, it became somewhat of a habit to burrow beneath a mountain of blankets, hand wrapped around a pint of ice cream, and seek comfort from whatever romcom was playing from his laptop. 

When Jean Moreau was transferred to USC, it became Jeremy’s mission to make the dark haired man feel safe and at home. He settled for showing parts of his life that gave him comfort and sharing it with Jean in ways he could. Jeremy took time out of his day to show Jean his favorite spots at USC for some peace and quiet, the best diners within an hour’s drive, and the movies that made him light up whenever he was enveloped in darkness. 

Months after Jean’s initial transfer, he’s certainly learned to loosen up and find himself in ways he wasn’t allowed to before. He’s found a steady rhythm with socializing with his teammates and balancing his studies, Exy, and his newfound hobbies. Jeremy was beyond proud of his friend and he wasn’t afraid to tell him so. 

Of course, it wasn’t without the dark days where Jean’s screams echo in the darkness of their dorm room in the middle of the night, when an accidental brush against his body makes him spiral into an abyss, or when the walls are the only things Jean wants to look at for an entire day. 

Jeremy can never stand the sight of Jean in pain but he’s learnt how to deal with it and lend the backliner a helping hand. He’s done his research; he made sure to consult a combination of Google, Renee Walker, and the Trojan’s team therapist Gracie, in order to patch Jean back up each time he falls down. 

Movies, he discovered, is something Jean has taken a keen interest for. It was something Jeremy noticed one afternoon when he put in one of his favorite films and nestled himself on the couch. From his periphery he could see Jean planting his feet a few paces away from the living room, enough for him to see the TV. 

_He’s waiting for an invitation_ , Jeremy thought to himself. For Jean’s sake, he wiped all traces of amusement from his face and turned to face him. “You wanna watch a movie, Jean?” he asked with ease. Jean’s shoulders tensed for a short moment before nodding stiffly and sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Jeremy. 

One can say Jeremy got a bit carried away with showing Jean his favorite films but you can’t blame the man. Jean watched each movie with clinical curiosity that he always tries to hide. From all the time that Jean has been here, he’s never been one to initiate anything or ask for something he wants or needs. It’s somewhat of a work in progress for him but Jeremy has learnt to tune himself into Jean’s wants and needs. 

He’s shown Jean a variety of movies that he thinks he’d like; the classics (Pulp Fiction, Dead Poets Society, Citizen Kane), Disney films (The Lion King, Tangled, Mulan), and the romcoms (You’ve Got Mail, Clueless, When Harry Met Sally)

Currently, he was fixated on plowing through his comfort romcoms and observing every twitch of Jean’s face and the tiniest huffs of breath that he considers as laughter. 

With the credits rolling and the bags of popcorn empty, Jeremy stood up and turned the lights back on and winced at the harsh light illuminating his and Jean’s dorm. 

“I don’t get it,” Jean said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, turning to face Jeremy whose eyes were crinkling with happiness at the happy ending. Jean, for all his grumpiness, did genuinely try to look at life the way Jeremy does. He seems to fail spectacularly at it, so he takes it one step at a time; starting with Jeremy’s favorite movies. 

“What’s not to get? They both live happily ever after!” Jeremy exclaimed, his smile still intact as he went to sit back down on the couch beside Jean. 

“He just buys her a guitar and that’s supposed to just erase all the damage he’s done?” he argued, hands gesticulating wildly in the space between the two of them. “That’s not how life works.”

Jeremy suppressed the urge to pat Jean’s head fondly. “Ah, yes but that’s how romantic comedies work.”

“Still don’t get it,” Jean muttered under his breath just enough for Jeremy to hear and roll his eyes over. 

“At least admit that it was a great movie.”

“It was… entertaining?”

“We need to work on improving your movie tastes, bud.”

“Who’s to say it isn’t _your_ movie taste that’s all wrong.”

A few months ago, Jean wouldn’t have even said a word to Jeremy, choosing to settle for meager nods and shrugs. Seeing him be so relaxed and comfortable on their shared couch makes his heart swell up three sizes bigger every time. Jean’s ‘Court Glare’ -- as he once heard a few of the freshmen refer to it as -- seemed nonexistent in the comfort of their dorms, favoring it for a more loose and unguarded expression. 

He knows Jean can be quite tough on the outside, but being one of the few trusted people to be able to see Jean in his own element is something that isn’t lost on him. 

“One day, I’m gonna change that wretched mindset of yours, Jean Moreau. Just you wait.”

“Do it, coward,” Jean deadpanned, making Jeremy burst with loud laughter. “I’d like to see you try,” he goaded, straight faced.  
Jeremy lifted an eyebrow in consideration. 

“I can do it, you know.” Jean hummed in response, taunting Jeremy further. “I can,” he insisted. 

“You sound like a petulant child, Knox. Knock it off,” Jean said without any heat to his voice. 

Jeremy leaned back in his seat. “You don’t think I can do it,” he said, voice thick with realization and his mind in full gear for an impending challenge he won’t be able to back down from. 

Jean merely shrugged. “It’s not you that’s the problem. It’s just that I’m sure that I’ll always look at life the way I do now. Not all sunshine and rainbows according to you, Captain.”

“That can’t be right.”

Jean huffed. “You sound just like my therapist,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna have to agree with Gracie on this one, buddy,” he said. “I mean, you’ve improved a lot since you’ve gotten here and it’s only been, like, one semester.”

The credits rolled on in front of the two of them, abandoned and continuous. “Life isn’t like the movies, Jeremy.”

“Yeah, but you could always try.” At Jeremy’s statement, Jean swiveled to look at him with a look that Jeremy can’t quite decipher. His gaze didn’t waver for what seemed like an eternity, his piercing gray eyes scrutinizing a confused yet obediently still Jeremy. 

When Jean finally found what he was supposedly looking for in Jeremy’s expression, he turned back to face the television, swiftly ending the conversation. “I’d like to see you try,” he repeated once more and Jeremy smiled.  


And try he did. The conversation with Jean happened almost a week ago and at the span of that time, Jeremy was already able to come up with a plan. 

He spent the week poring over his comfort movies at a rate that he hasn’t done since his first breakup in his freshman year of high school. He took notes and analyzed the perfect formula for one to live their best life. His mind raced a mile a minute and his heart was happy at the thought of combining one of his favorite things with one of his favorite people. 

Jean deserved to see the beauty of life and Jeremy was trying his damn best to make sure of that in the ways that he knows how. If it takes watching high school flicks over and over again, then so be it. 

Which brings Jeremy to the current state that he’s in; looking at Jean patiently as Jean looks at him as if he’s gone mad. “What?” Jean asks, bewildered. 

“I asked if you’ve been to high school,” Jeremy said, repeating his question from earlier. 

Jean blinked at him. “You dropped by the library during one of your only free periods just to ask if I’ve been to high school,” Jean said slowly as if he was talking to a toddler and Jeremy nodded. “Jeremy, what the fuck has given you the impression that the Ravens will let me run rampant at a high school?”

Jeremy sighed. “I figured you’ve had to have gotten an education somewhere.”

Jean shrugged, fiddling with the pen in his hand. “They wanted me to be educated but just enough to know the basics. They gave me a few tattered school books, but didn’t really give me any time for studying. Had to squeeze that in between the tight schedule of practice and getting beat up.”

Jeremy flinched at Jean’s reference to his past at the Nest. Jeremy knew that up until he met Renee Walker, no one has cared enough to show him kindness. His heart ached at the thought as he made a mental note to give Renee a call later in the afternoon under the guise of checking up on the Foxes. He knows she’ll see right through him but he doesn’t really care. “Sorry for bringing it up,” Jeremy said with an apologetic wince. 

Jean looked at him with a levelled gaze and put down his pen. “I wouldn’t have told you any of that if I wasn’t comfortable in saying it. Don’t be sorry.” His tone was rash and clipped but Jeremy understood what he was trying to convey as he nodded. “Why’d you wanna know, anyway? I doubt that you came all the way across campus just to ask that,” Jean paused in thought. “On second thought, I don’t doubt that you would do that. Seems like a Jeremy thing to do, actually.”

Jeremy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m making a plan.”

Jean was back to looking at Jeremy like he’s gone off his rocker. “Are you concussed or something? I know I checked you very hard at this morning’s practice but I thought your skull was thick enough to handle that.”

Jeremy gave an unimpressed huff of laughter. “I’m not concussed, Moreau.”

“Then please explain what the fuck you’re saying or I’m calling an ambulance.”

“An ambulance seems a bit over the top but whatever,” Jeremy mumbled and then a bit louder he said, “I’m making your guidebook to living the perfect cinematic life.”

Jean mumbled something in French. _He’s got to stop doing that or else I’ll blow all my money on a translating machine_ , Jeremy thought. 

Jeremy continued as if he wasn’t interrupted by what he was sure were foreign obscenities. “And according to all movies I watched, we should start with a makeover. And quite frankly, I agree.”

Jean made a disgruntled noise at the back of his throat. “Nothing’s wrong with what I’m wearing.”

Jeremy agreed on that wholeheartedly. Every morning, Jean strode out of the bathroom looking fresh off the runway with his new wardrobe -- that at his request had no sight of the black he used to sport -- and Jeremy always had to remind himself to breathe. He’d be sad to see those slim fit pants go but sacrifices must be made in the name of cinema. 

“Jean, don’t try to convince me that you’re not melting in that outfit of yours right now.” Jeremy eyed Jean’s turtleneck and slacks ensemble in a way that was _totally just to make a point_.

“I’m not.” Jeremy’s eyes narrowed at him and Jean relented. “Maybe I am. So what?”

“That means it’s makeover time.”

“No.” 

At that, Jeremy dropped all his humor and turned to Jean with a sober look on his face. “If you seriously don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to. I’m just trying to help you but we can find other things to do. Just say the word and I’ll drop it completely. It’ll be fine,” he said, a supportive smile on his face as Jean looked at him with disbelief. 

It was taking Jean quite some time to adjust to the feeling of someone doing something nice for him without anything in return but he was getting there. Jean dropped his gaze and continued on with his math problems. Jeremy waited a while before he took that as his dismissal and began to stand up. He hooked his bag over his shoulder, ready to head out and start a new phase of the plan until Jean caught him off guard by saying, “My classes end at three.” 

Jeremy smiled at him but the backliner refused to meet his gaze, embarrassed at having admitted to wanting to do something. He decided not to comment on it and just headed out the library, stepping on the cobblestones beneath the blue sky filled with possibilities. 

“God, you really do look like that 24/7, huh?” The familiarity of the voice prevented Jeremy from jumping high in the air but he still startled as he turned to face Alvarez. 

“What?”

“You know,” Alvarez gesticulated wildly, waving her hands in the air and pointing at nothing in particular. “Like the sun just saw you and decided that it was no match for the great Jeremy Knox.”

Jeremy laughed, loud and unabashed. No one gave a second look at the startling sound; most of them were familiar with the sight anyway. “That’s an exaggeration, Al.” 

“Believe me, Jer, it really isn’t. In fact, this is where my theory comes in-” Jeremy groaned as he heard the words come out of Alvarez’s mouth. His legs sped its pace up but the girl was unrelenting. “Oh come on. Hear me out.”

“I have heard you out and I think it’s ridiculous and embarrassing for you to think that California is hot just because I’m here.”

“You’re a ray of sunshine. You’re like an eternal fucking glowstick or whatever.”

“I regret befriending you.”

Alvarez snorted. “No you don’t”

Jeremy grinned at her and bumped their shoulders together. “No I don’t,” he confirmed. 

Jeremy and Alvarez’s surprising friendship came in his sophomore year when Alvarez was still a freshman testing out the water of USC. Jeremy, keen on making new friends every chance he gets, decided to take a chance and walk up to an impressively scowling Alvarez. 

He ended up with a bruise on his stomach that day but he also ended up with a great friend, which seems like a good plus to Jeremy.

“What were you doing in the library anyway? Don’t you have a class in, like, five minutes over the other side of campus?” Alvarez asked. At the mention of his next class, Jeremy’s steps doubled their pace. 

“Had an important project to take care of.”

Alvarez hummed, sensing more to the story than Jeremy was letting up. She inspected the excited gleam in his eyes and grinned. “Tell me about it later?”

There was absolutely no way he’d survive in this world without blabbing to anyone about whatever took up his mind. He’d get carried away from time to time, rambling to no end about topics that amused him; his team has always been supportive of his endeavors and he couldn’t be more thankful. “I will.”

With that, he sprinted off in the direction of his next class and hoped that his charm will be able to get him out of Mrs. Javier’s disappointed look. 

__

Jean was looking at the rack of bermuda shorts as if they murdered his family in cold blood. It was an interesting sight, really; Jean beneath the fluorescent lights of the too bright department store, glowering with all his might.  


“No,” he said, distaste evident in his very being. Jean crossed his arms across his chest and stared down at a beaming Jeremy. He should have been somewhat intimidated by the man, considering the look he had on his face right now. But Jeremy was undeterred and unrelenting. 

“You’re in California now, dude,” Jeremy said with a grin intact, waving a pair of shorts beneath Jean’s nose which he swatted away harshly.

“There’s no way in hell I’m wearing that, _dude_ ,” Jean mocked. He turned around and walked away as far as he could from the atrocious garments. He didn’t look back to see if Jeremy was following him, the telltale footsteps were proof enough. 

He stopped by a rack of leather jackets and Jeremy sighed. “We’re here to get you suited up to the warm weather. I meant it when I said you were too pale to pull off the red and gold. Frankly, those sweaters and pants aren’t helping.”

Jean ignored him and took one jacket out of the rack to inspect it. After a brief moment, Jean nodded impassively and tucked the jacket under his arm before heading away to another part of the department store. 

Jeremy was silent for a moment before he started to speak up in a meek voice. “Is it because of…” Jeremy trailed off, unable to finish his sentence in a way that wasn’t too straightforward. 

Jean raised an eyebrow and halted his search for a decent graphic tee to face Jeremy. “Because of?” he prompted him. 

Jeremy squirmed in discomfort in a way that made Jean think he was the one to go through hell in the Nest with the way he danced around the topic. He knew what Jeremy was referring to, of course. He was used to the pitying looks and saddened whispers he got around campus. He just wanted Jeremy to stop walking on eggshells around him and treat him like a real person; not Jean Moreau, the tortured boy with a terrifying past but Jean Moreau, his roommate and starting backliner. 

Jeremy was silent for a few more beats before he looked Jean in the eyes. “Is it because of your scars?”

Jean didn’t even bat an eye at the mention of his scars. “Is what because of my scars? Be specific, Jeremy.”

“Do you wear all those covering clothing to hide your scars?”

Jean considered his answer for a moment. It was silly that they were talking about such a matter in the middle of a department store where he was sure he could hear a child wailing at the top of his lungs a few racks back. Jeremy seemed to mistake his silence for a sign to drop his question and lowered his eyes. “Sorry I shouldn’t have asked.”

“I wear what I wear because that’s what I like,” Jean started. “I’ve never been allowed the privilege of being able to have whatever I want.”

Jermey nodded. “So it isn’t about the scars?”

“I will never be ashamed of my scars, Jeremy.” He showcased that fact every chance he got. Coach Rhemman offered to have stalls built in the team showers but he refused. He knew the scars were only marks of his past and aren’t the things that dictate how he is as a person. So why should he be ashamed of the cruelty the world has set upon his shoulders? 

Jeremy started to say something to reply to his confession but Jean didn’t want whatever pity would come out of his mouth. His apologies would be pointless and Jean hated the feeling of being inspected like a wounded animal. 

“It’s just because your taste in clothes is atrocious, Knox. I wouldn’t be caught dead in those outfits.” Jeremy gave a startled yelp at the accusation and Jean resisted the urge to laugh. 

“They’re practical!” the blonde argued, offended. Jean grunted and continued his search for actual clothes he would wear. “It’s hot as balls 24/7, Jean.”

“Yet I still somehow look good,” Jean muttered drily and Jeremy guffawed.

“Fine. I’ll strike you a deal. I buy you one pair of shorts and one tank top and you buy me whatever you think is god tier fashion or whatever.”

Jean wasn’t a fool. He’d be dumb to take this offer. All he should do is say no, walk up to the cashier and stroll out the store with the clothes he wants. But Jeremy’s smile was blinding and bright that he would do anything just to tone it down. He hated that smile with a passion. “Fine,” he spit out.

Jeremy’s smile grew tenfold and Jean wanted to punch the living daylights out of him. Jean grit his teeth and shoved two more T-shirts under his arms and walked off, Jeremy happily leading the way. 

Jean ended up spending his afternoon being dragged around by an energetic Jeremy and carrying a load of purchased clothing in his arms. Of course, Jeremy was more than capable of lugging around his share of the loot but Jean was always determined to swipe the bags away and walk out of the store as quickly as he could. 

Jeremy always had to reel in his steadily broadening smile before Jean spotted it and scowled at him. 

__

“I can’t believe you roped me into buying this.” Jean’s opinion of the bermuda shorts and muscle tee hadn’t changed one bit since they first saw it in the store and Jeremy found it absolutely hilarious. 

“Hey! I let you buy me a bunch of the stuff you like and you don’t see me complaining,” Jeremy said from his position in their tiny kitchen where he was hellbent on making him and Jean a mug of coffee to finish off their successful shopping trip. 

Jean snorted. “That’s because the clothes I bought you actually look good.”

Jeremy didn’t dignify that with a response and instead walked into their living room with steaming cups of coffee in each hand. He laid one out in front of Jean and seated himself on the opposite end of the couch. 

“So did you enjoy yourself today?” Jeremy was a people pleaser. It wasn’t a big secret to anyone who knows him. He lives to put a smile on people’s faces and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t fulfill that mission. Now, he looks at Jean with a look that masks his need for approval and sips on the too hot coffee, silently cursing at the scorch of his tongue. 

Jean merely grunted. It wasn’t a yes and it wasn’t a no but Jeremy will gladly take it. 

“So does that mean we get to continue on?”

Jean turned to look at him, eyes wide. “There’s more?”

Jeremy snorted. “Of course, there’s more. We’re just getting started, Moreau.”

The backliner muttered something in French and looked up at their ceiling helplessly. 

“So, what do you wanna do next? The choice is yours.”

“I want you to fuck off.” Jean’s voice lacked its usual heat and Jeremy hid his grin. He had a feeling Jean was secretly liking all this. 

“Well, if that’s what you want,” Jeremy responded cheekily. He hauled himself off the couch and started for the bedroom when he heard Jean say something. 

“Nobody’s ever done something like this for me,” Jean said nonchalantly as if his statement didn’t rip Jeremy’s heart into shreds. Jeremy knew what Jean was trying and failing to say; _Thank you_.

He turned to face Jean and smiled warmly at him. “I have your back Jean,” he started. “We’ll take this one step at a time.”

And without waiting for a response, Jeremy walked into their shared bedroom and closed the door behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again I am announcing my desperation for someone to proofread my fic. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter if you like (@BETHARMQN).
> 
> Hope you have a great week ahead of you!


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